Copier



R. 8. BROWN Sept. 5, 1961 COPIER Filed June 20, 1958 I N VE N TOR. R1 C'HHRD 6. BROWN B z ww ATTORNE Y6 lJnite States Patent 2,998,763 COPIER Richard S. Brown, 3000 Surry Lane, Wayzata, Minn. Filed June 20, 1958, Ser. No. 743,439 8 Claims. (Cl. 9573) This invention relates generally to photoprint'mg, such as that employed by oflices for producing copies of typed, written or printed material, and pertains more particularly to a copier for making prints of pages from bound books and the like.

One object of the present invention is to provide a copier that will greatly facilitate the making of photocopies of pages contained in bound books. More specifically, it is an aim of the invention to permit the copying of a full page from a book, i.e. substantially to its bound edge, without having to open the book beyond an angle that would occur during normal reading usage. In this way, undue stresses are avoided that would be apt to break the binding of the average book, if opened too far.

Another object of the invention is to provide a copier that will allow a thin, relatively rigid backing plate to be used whenever desired even though book pages are being copied.

A further object is to provide copying apparatus that will permit selected portions of oversized sheets and pages to be copied, the apparatus presenting a planar upper surface that will offer no raised obstructive interference to those portions of a sheet larger than the illuminated region.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a copying unit that is completely self-contained, lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture and which will produce highly uniform copying results.

Qther objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, an embodiment is shown on the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of my copier unit during actual use, a book having been depicted in phantom outline thereon in the position it would assume when having one of its pages reproduced;

FIGURE 2 is an end view taken from the left in FIG- URE 1 illustrating the book in solid lines opened only to the extent necessary to copy a selected page, portions of the unit having been removed along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 to show to better advantage the construction of said unit, and

FIGURE 3 is a schematic view of the parallel wiring arrangement for the individual lamps that might be employed in the copier together with the timer-switch for interrupting the electric current after a preferred interval.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the copier exemplifying my invention comprises an opaque casing or housing It) of suitable material, such as wood, plastic or m tal. The casing It includes a hat bottom 12 with vertical outer sidewalls l4, 16, 18 and an inner vertical sidewall or partition 2%. Another sidewall, which has been designated by the numeral 22, slopes outwardly at an angle of approximately 18. This sidewall 22 is made of relatively thin sheet stock, such as aluminum, and is detachably secured to the bottom 12 and the walls 14, I8 and in any suitable manner, as by screws (not visible). The bottom 12 is equipped with resilient feet 24 so that the copier can be safely placed on a table or desk indicated fragmentarily by the numeral 26.

Within the casing 10 is mounted a false bottom or plate 2% held at an elevation spaced above the casing bottom 12 through the medium of connecting grooves in the vertical walls 14, 16 and 20 for receiving the marginal edges of this plate. This raised plate 28 carries a plurality of uniformly spaced electric sockets 30 for the reception of an equal number of lamps 32. The bank of lamps thus formed is intended to be extinguished automatically after a preferred interval by a timer-switch 34 mounted in the sidewall 18 the body of the timer-switch extending into the compartment formed between the walls 18 and 2%.

, As can be seen from the typical circuit pictured in FIGURE 3, a conventional bayonet-type plug 36 is connected in series with both the timer-switch 34 and the lamps 32, although the individual lamps constituting the bank are connected in parallel with each other.

Overlying the plate 28 is a reflecting panel 38. Actually, the panel 33 need not be highly reflective in character, its role being mainly to diffuse the light impinging thereon from the lamps 32. In order to make the entire copying unit as lightweight as possible, the panel 38 preferably constitutes a section of white cardboard that has had its upper surface suitably calendered. This panel is apertured at the various locations where the sockets are situated so that these sockets can extend upwardly therethrough, Integral with the panel 33 are outwardly inclining side panels or fiaps ill, 42 and 44. Weakened bend lines originally provided in the cardboard permit easy flexing of these panels 41}, 42 and 4-4 into their inclined positions, and appropriate dimensioning will assure that the upper edges of these flaps or panels will engage the sidewalls 14, 16 and 18 at the requisite height and at substantially the same 18 angle previously mentioned in coniunction with the sidewall 22. If desired, each panel 40, 42 and 44 may be provided with a reversely bent extension 45, as shown in FIGURE 2. For a reason presently to be made manifest, the sidewall 22 is to constitute the fourth sloping side of the reflective means comprising the panels 38, 4G, 42 and 44. Accordingly, the inwardly directed surface of this sidewall 22 is coated with white enamel so as to match substantially the white cardboard. By utilizing internally coated or frosted lamps 32, it can be appreciated that with the reflective means above-mentioned generally uniform light distribution can be achieved.

Supported on the casing Ill is a light conductive plate 46, preferably of Plexiglas or Lucite. More specifically, the plate 46 is received in notches 4-8, 50 formed in the upper edges of the sidewalls l4, l6 and a similar notch 52 in the sidewall 18. For the sake of appearances, the right hand underside portion of the plate 46 extending from above the cardboard panel to that end engaging the wall 18 is rendered opaque, as by enameling. This is the reason for the sidewall or partition 29, the right hand upper edge of the sidewall 22, and the notch 52 all appearing in dotted outline. A pair of countersunk apertures 54 overlying the sidewall 14 permit screws 56 to engage this sidewall, whereas similar apertures 58 permit screws 60 to engage the sidewall 29 to anchor the plate 46 in place. It is to be observed that a completely flush or planar upper surface for the copier is thus provided, for in addition to the foregoing countersinking, which permits recessing of the screw heads, the plate 46 itself is recessed into the casing by virtue of the notches 48, 54 and 52. Consequently, no raised obstructions whatsoever are present to interfere with the copying procedure. It is also to be discerned at this time that a flush or planar side is provided by forming notches 62 and 64 for the accommodation of the relatively thin sidewall 22.

In use, the operator of my copier will place a photosensitized matrix paper 66 on the light conductive plate 46 with its coated side up. Assuming that a certain page from a book 68 is to be copied, that particular page is placed on top of the matrix paper in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2. An initial orientation of the book can be made with the downwardly extending portion dangling vertically, as shown in phantom outline. When actually copying the page, though, the downwardly extending book portion should be pressed with one hand against the sloping sidewall 22. This gently force substantially all of the page to be photoprinted against the matrix paper 66. If desired, a thin backing sheet of metal or plastic (not shown) may be inserted just above the page to be duplicated, the acute angle formed by the sidewall 22 and top plate 46 readily permitting this. The point to be stressed, however, is that the plate 46 and sidewall 22 meet each other at an acute angle and that the plate 46 extends well into the apex of the opened book without subjecting the binding to unnecessary strains. In this way, practically the entire page can be readily copied. With the hand not used in holding the book 68, the timer-switch 34 may be turned to the proper setting and the starting button actuated. At the end of the period determined by the timer setting, the circuit will be automatically opened. In other Words, the exposure time is determined by the period that the lamps 32 are energized. The matrix paper 66 is then ready to be placed in an activator. However, since the activating step and the subsequent step of contacting the copy paper with the matrix paper after activation thereof are old and Well known, forming no part of the instant invention, no need is believed to exist for describing these steps in detail.

However, should an exceptionally large sheet, whether it be a book page, map, drawing or the like require that a portion thereof be copied, it can be appreciated, having the foregoing description in mind, that the planar upper surface permits the ready overhanging of that portion of the document beyond the boundaries of the copying unit.

In this regard, it can be pointed out that no obstructive interference is present at the upper surface of the apparatus. Likewise, the sidewall 22 is perfectly smooth and when placed near the edge of the table or desk 26, no size limitation is placed on the equipment in this direction, as can be seen from the position of the downwardly extending book portion appearing in FIGURE 2.

It is to be understood that changes may be eliected in details of construction, arrangement, operation and choice of materials without departing from the spirit of the invention, especially as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A copier of the class described comprising a casing having an outwardly inclined opaque sidewall, a light conductive panel on said casing extending into juxtaposition with the upper edge of said sidewall, and a light source beneath said light conductive panel for transmitting light upwardly through said panel onto a photosensitized matrix placed on said panel.

2. A copier of the class described comprising a casing having an outwardly inclined sidewall, a light conductive panel supported on said casing and extending into close adjacency with the upper edge of said sidewall, light producing means Within said casing, and means for reflecting the light from said light producing means upwardly through said light conductive means.

3. A copier in accordance with claim 2 in which the inner surface of said sidewall is light reflective in character.

4. A copier in accordance with claim 3 in which said light reflective means includes outwardly inclined portions disposed at substantially the same angle as said sidewall.

5. A copier of the glass described comprising a casing having a bottom and upwardly directed opaque sidewalls, one of said sidewalls inclining outwardly from said bottom, a light conductive panel supported on said casing, the panel having a notch along its underside at one edge thereof so that a portion of said panel overlies the upper edge of said outwardly inclining sidewall, and a plurality of lamps contained in said casing for directing light upwardly through the panel onto a photosensitive matrix placed on said panel.

6. A copier in accordance with claim 5 in which said light conductive panel is recessed into the other sidewalls so as to provide a planar upper surface.

7. A copier in accordance with claim 6 including a light reflective panel underlying said plurality of bulbs and reflective inclined portions extending from the edges of said reflective panel upwardly to said light conductive panel, said inclined sidewall constituting one of said inclined reflective portions.

8. The copier of claim 2 in which said light conductive panel is recessed into said casing so as to provide a planar upper surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,742,372 Taylor Jan. 7, 1930 2,227,850 Steinlauf Jan. 7, 1941 2,511,102 Clouser June 13, 1950 2,878,740 Hodges Mar. 24, 1959 

